No Penguins
Still a little sore from yesterday’s hiking! My toes are only a little sore, but my quads and calves make me feel like an old woman! 44 is not old, is it? Today we left Queenstown and drove to a small, cute little town--Arrowtown. Very picturesque. Then up the western coast toward Franz Joseph Glacier. That’s the name of the town and the glacier. The scenery was beautiful!! Different shades of browns and some greens, a lot of vineyards. Being winter, the browns were predominant, with some red berries in trees as well. The “towns” we drove through were almost nonexistent--some were a cluster of a few houses, some had a few shops or a gas station, and for some there was nothing at all. Driving through mountains with varying shades of brown, then through the Haast Pass and green everywhere! We went from the east side of the mountains to the west side--next to the Ocean (actually the Tasman Sea). And we drove into the rainforest! I’ve never been in a rainforest before! It was so green and lush--moss and vines covered everything! We walked through the rainforest a short way to see the Thunder Creek Falls. Very pretty (see the photo). Then along the coast, we stopped to see the ocean a few times. The first was windy and very dramatic. We were so taken with it, we even had our sandwich lunch at a picnic table on the edge of the beach. Then we took a longer walk through the rainforest to the Munro Beach (45 minutes each way). That was very fun--a suspension bridge and having to navigate several huge puddles (with no way around). Annie went through three pair of socks today! The beach is the breeding grounds for the Fjordland Crested penguin which I very much wanted to see!!! They are breeding in New Zealand June through December but evidently hadn’t gotten there yet. Annie and I were crushed. But life goes on and we had fun looking for rocks and taking pictures. We drove through more picturesque mountains and vineyards (again on the East side of the mountains). And arrived at our Youth Hostel in Franz Joseph. Where we could only find dinner for, $8 for fish and chips, $28 for a “large” pizza, or $20 for a hamburger!! And at the grocery store, $8 for a box of cereal or $4 for a muffin. How do people here eat? They can’t just bleed the tourists, the locals have to eat too. Well, tomorrow, off to see the glacier!
Still a little sore from yesterday’s hiking! My toes are only a little sore, but my quads and calves make me feel like an old woman! 44 is not old, is it? Today we left Queenstown and drove to a small, cute little town--Arrowtown. Very picturesque. Then up the western coast toward Franz Joseph Glacier. That’s the name of the town and the glacier. The scenery was beautiful!! Different shades of browns and some greens, a lot of vineyards. Being winter, the browns were predominant, with some red berries in trees as well. The “towns” we drove through were almost nonexistent--some were a cluster of a few houses, some had a few shops or a gas station, and for some there was nothing at all. Driving through mountains with varying shades of brown, then through the Haast Pass and green everywhere! We went from the east side of the mountains to the west side--next to the Ocean (actually the Tasman Sea). And we drove into the rainforest! I’ve never been in a rainforest before! It was so green and lush--moss and vines covered everything! We walked through the rainforest a short way to see the Thunder Creek Falls. Very pretty (see the photo). Then along the coast, we stopped to see the ocean a few times. The first was windy and very dramatic. We were so taken with it, we even had our sandwich lunch at a picnic table on the edge of the beach. Then we took a longer walk through the rainforest to the Munro Beach (45 minutes each way). That was very fun--a suspension bridge and having to navigate several huge puddles (with no way around). Annie went through three pair of socks today! The beach is the breeding grounds for the Fjordland Crested penguin which I very much wanted to see!!! They are breeding in New Zealand June through December but evidently hadn’t gotten there yet. Annie and I were crushed. But life goes on and we had fun looking for rocks and taking pictures. We drove through more picturesque mountains and vineyards (again on the East side of the mountains). And arrived at our Youth Hostel in Franz Joseph. Where we could only find dinner for, $8 for fish and chips, $28 for a “large” pizza, or $20 for a hamburger!! And at the grocery store, $8 for a box of cereal or $4 for a muffin. How do people here eat? They can’t just bleed the tourists, the locals have to eat too. Well, tomorrow, off to see the glacier! 
yikes, the exchange rate must be awful. and i hate cold showers, too, especially when it's cool outside. but the adventure! sounds like your vaca is back on track. awesome.
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